Minutes of Parents & Staff Meeting on 30/10/07

Sgoil Araich Na Sgoilearan Beaga Parents & Staff Meeting 7:00 pm, Tuesday 30 October 2007 Held at Little Scholar’s Nursery DRAFT MINUTES
PRESENT
Karen Barlow	Parent		Anemorè MacKenzie	Parent
Pat Donald	Parent		Gordon Miche	Parent
Jackie Hoy	Parent		Marie Morgan	Parent
Fiona Kinnaird	Parent		Iain F Nairn	Parent
Cathie MacAuley	Parent		Michelle A Nairn	Parent
Janet MacDonald	Staff		Johnny Rodger	Parent
Douglas McDougall	Parent		Marianne Rodgers	Parent
Dave MacGillvery	Parent		Catriona Scallion	Parent
Marion MacIness	Staff		Shirley Tees	Parent
Angela MacKay	Parent & Staff		Anne Wilson	Staff
APOLOGIES
Morag Connor	Parent		Kenna McCusker	Parent
Stephen Connor	Parent		Francis MacGregor	Parent
Kenneth Graham	Parent		Martin MacGregor	Parent
Leanne Graham	Parent		Elaine MacInnes	Parent
Iona Jack	Parent		Kathleen MacKay	Parent
Murdo Kennedy	Parent		Margaret MacNeil	Parent
Stuart Kinnaird	Parent

		ACTION
1	Comann nam Pàrant (CnP) The work of CnP in supporting the parents and staff of Little Scholars is very much appreciated but this meeting has been called as there is a need for both parents and staff to have a distinctive voice in negotiations on the future of Sgoil Araich Na Sgoilearan Beaga. The purpose of this meeting is to allow us to gather our views in order that we can express them clearly to CnP and Glasgow City Council.
2	Meeting on 7 November 2007 Jim Whannell and Peggy Macintosh of Glasgow City Council and Catriona McNeil of CNAS will be attending next week’s meeting.
3	Current Position Some parents who have contacted their MSPs and councillors have received general reassurances that alternative provision will be made but no specific information has been given and parents are greatly concerned that that the alternative provision offered may not be suitable for their needs and those of their children.
4	Holmlea Nursery The council have stated that they are looking at the feasibility of setting up a Gaelic nursery in the premises currently occupied by Holmlea Nursery on Holmlea Road, a short distance from the current location of Sgoil Araich Na Sgoilearan Beaga. A move to these premises would be welcomed by the parents provided that the new provision was offered on a like-for-like basis including maintenance of the current hours and age range.
5	Timescales Though the closure of Sgoil Araich Na Sgoilearan Beaga is planned for December 2008, it is vital that firm arrangements for future provision of its services are put in place as soon as possible. The parents recognise that Gaelic nursery staff can be hard to recruit and they are therefore very concerned about the possibility of current staff leaving as a result of their future employment being insecure.
6	New Gaelic Provision at Lyoncross Nursery The new Gaelic nursery provision being introduced at Lyoncross nursery, though a welcome addition to Glasgow’s Gaelic nursery provision in its own right, is not in any was a suitable alternative to the services currently being provided by Sgoil Araich Na Sgoilearan Beaga. The travelling distance to Lyoncross, the hours available at the nursery and the absence of 0 – 3 yrs provision all make this totally unsuitable for the parents and children of Sgoil Araich Na Sgoilearan Beaga.
7	Parent Representation The parents wish to be represented at any future meetings with Glasgow City Council. 6 member of the group were selected to form a steering group who will act as key contacts and representatives of the parents in communications with CnP and Glasgow City Council. The members of this steering group are (in alphabetical order): Jackie Hoy Fiona Kinnaird Angela Mackay Gordon Miche Johnny Rodger Marianne Rodgers The steering group will meet on Monday 5 November to prepare for the meeting on Wednesday 7 November.	Steering Group
8	Current Roll & Waiting List Any alternative provision should maintain the current nursery roll and waiting list.
9	Current Staff The current staff at the nursery have been told by Glasgow City Council that the Council does not have an obligation to offer them employment in any alternative provision that is offered to replace the current services being provided by Sgoil Araich Na Sgoilearan Beaga. The parents are very concerned that a sudden change to a new group of unfamiliar staff would be a significant and disruptive change for their children and they feel strongly that the current staff should be transferred to the new facility so that the children have the continuity of the staff moving with them when their surroundings change. In light of this, the parents wish to request that the move to alternative premises should be carried out as a takeover of Sgoil Araich Na Sgoilearan Beaga that would be subject to Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) (TUPE) Regulations in order that the current staff can be maintained.
10	0 – 3 years Provision The staff and parents would like to make clear to the Council the importance of the 0 – 3 years provision in attracting parents to Gaelic Medium Education (GME). Children’s language skill develop significantly before they turn 3 years of age and parents and staff both feel that pre-3 GME is a huge benefit to the children in developing their Gaelic. A number of parents, who do not have a Gaelic speaker in the home, stated that that they would not have chosen Gaelic Medium Education if it had only been available from 3 years of age. The pre-3 provision of GME was essential to them as they would not have felt comfortable in intensively introducing their child to a new language at age 3. The subsidy provided for 0 – 3 years places is provided by the Scottish Government via Glasgow City Council.
11	Further Questions & Comments Anne Wilson will place a box for questions and suggests in the nursery. If anyone would like to raise any additional issues at next Wednesday’s meeting, they should put a note in the box by Monday (5 November) and the Steering Group will check the box on Monday evening.	A Wilson Steering Group
12	Date of Next Meeting Arrangements for the next meeting are as follows: Date: Wednesday 7 November Time: 7:30 pm Venue: Little Scholars Nursery